Rico Henry dreaming of England call-up as Brentford face Chelsea
Rico Henry dreaming of England call-up and hasn’t given up on impressing Gareth Southgate ahead of the World Cup as Brentford’s west London derby with Chelsea offers a glimpse of the competition in Ben Chilwell
- Brentford host Chelsea in the Premier League on Wednesday evening
- Bees left-back Rico Henry is hopeful his form will lead to a first England call-up
- He is one of a number of players hoping to make a late dash for World Cup squad
- Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell and Man United’s Luke Shaw are England’s left-backs
- Brentford manager Thomas Frank believes Henry should be picked by England
For Brentford’s Rico Henry, a game against Chelsea brings to mind both the competition but also an inspiration.
In Ben Chilwell, Chelsea possess an occupier of one of the left-back slots in Gareth Southgate’s squad that England hopeful Henry is aiming to one day be in.
Meanwhile Reece James epitomises the all-round full-back and key contributor at both ends of the pitch that Henry is working towards becoming, though there will be no direct battle between the pair on Wednesday due to the Blues star’s knee injury.
Brentford’s Rico Henry has opened up on his England aspirations after good form this season
Henry is hoping to impress England manager Gareth Southgate and get a first Three Lions cap
Ahead of next month’s World Cup, those who are currently where Henry wants to be and how he can boost his own international prospects are very much in the 25 year-old’s thoughts along with his and Brentford’s form.
Left-back Henry is among a clutch of players who have been performing well and consistently for their clubs, are on the outside looking in when it comes to England but still harbouring hopes of gate-crashing the squad for Qatar.
As the clock ticks down there is only one approach to the situation they can realistically have – while there is still time, there is still a chance so keep the faith.
‘Obviously you need to do that,’ Henry agreed. ‘You just need to concentrate on yourself.
‘The games are coming thick and fast because of the World Cup so you’ve got no time to dwell on the [last] game. You just have to focus on the next one.
Ben Chilwell has set the standard in the left-back position for both Chelsea and England
‘I want to get in the England team. That will be a big dream of mine. I’ve just got to focus on my work now with Brentford and hopefully it comes one day.’
Brentford manager Frank believes that day should have already come with a call-up for Henry for the last England get-together alongside his Bees teammate Ivan Toney.
‘He said that I should have been in the squad basically,’ Henry explained when asked how Frank responded to his omission.
‘It would have been a good moment for me but I’ve just got to put it past me and focus on what’s next.’
Henry has climbed steadily up the leagues during his career, rising and thriving with every elevation.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank believes his left-back Henry is deserving of a call-up
He started his career in League One with Walsall, moved to Brentford in the Championship and helped them into the Premier League where he has emerged as one of their key players at the highest level.
He has played for England at under-19 and under-20 level alongside the likes of current senior squad members Dean Henderson and Tammy Abraham.
Graduation to the full squad would represent a natural next step up but he insisted: ‘There’s not really much pressure on me at the moment. There’s no pressure because I’ve not been in the squad before.
‘I want to compete at the highest level and with the top players like Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell who are in the squad at the moment.
‘I think I could do that if given the chance. I want to compete with the boys who are in the team at the moment and hopefully I can get my chance soon. I just need to work on myself and keep going.’
Ivan Toney’s scoring form for Brentford led to an England call-up but he didn’t win a first cap
That process is an ongoing one, aided by the lessons learned from coming up against Premier League wingers on a weekly basis.
Henry has more than held his own in the top division, relishing battles with standout opponents such as Wolves’ Adama Traore and learning swiftly last season that you cannot switch off even second after being punished for doing so by Mo Salah in Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Brentford.
Occasions such as that are rare with Henry, for so long likened to Ashley Cole, renowned for his defensive strengths and one-versus-one qualities.
He is improving quickly as an attacking threat too, rising to Frank’s challenge to be one of Brentford’s most advanced players and determined to add more goals and assists to his game while continuing to excel defensively.
It is no longer an easy task being a modern day full back due to the huge demands placed on them and Henry said: ‘For sure, you can’t have it all but you’ve got to work on it. Reece James is good at both. He inspires me as well so I just want to keep going, getting goal contributions.’
Henry takes on the Bournemouth defence during Brentford’s recent trip to the south coast
Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier is another full-back who has impressed Henry.
‘We played Newcastle recently and Trippier was outstanding. He is another one I look up to. I could take parts of his game and adapt it into mine,’ he said.
‘The way he is composed on the ball and he switched it quite a few times, gets crosses in. It was a good experience to play against him.’
As a natural in the position, Henry has been an interested viewer as right-backs such as Trippier have been deemed the solution to England’s left-back issues in certain fixtures.
But, backed by everyone at Brentford, he hopes to eventually be able to influence that situation himself.
He said: ‘They [Brentford’s staff] are saying to me if you keep going like this one day you’re going to get your chance and you’ve got to take it. Just hearing that is good.’
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